Several years ago I went on a hike with my family in Great Basin National Park to see the Bristlecone Pine trees. What I learned about these trees helped me see more clearly how we can all stay strong during times of adversity.

• How we visited in October 2019 in Great Basin National Park, and Nathan wasn’t very happy about hiking in the snow.
• As we approached the grove of Bristlecone Pines I was amazed by what I learned reading the placards about these ancient and resilient trees.

• Some Bristlecone Pines can live nearly 5,000 years and are the oldest living things on our planet.
• Most of these pine trees have been alive 3,000 to 5,000 years. Imagine them clinging to rocks when the Romans, Jesus Christ, Cleopatra and the construction of the pyramids.
• The species are native to the Rocky Mountains and other ranges of the southwestern United States.
• The usually grow at elevations above 5,500 feet and up to 11,200 feet.
• We went and saw the Great Basin Bristlecone pines at their high elevationspiral out from seemingly impossible soil of limestone rock
• Bristlecone pines in Great Basin National Park grow in isolated groves just below the tree-line. The conditions in which they live are harsh (with temperatures that drop well below freezing), a short growing season, and high winds that twist the trees into almost human-like forms along their limestone ridges. Because of these conditions Bristlecone Pine grow very slowly, and in some years do not even add a ring of growth.
• Often they twist into gnarly shapes which makes them very strong and they stay standing for centuries even after the tree dies.
• The Bristlecone Pines grow in rugged conditions in the high mountains and in the middle of desert valleys.
• They have an unusual ability to adapt to their environments
• They can also live in isolation where other species cannot survive

Slow down in times of adversity, so you can process change, make time to absorb God’s goodness into circumstance and be able to grow strong—producing the resin needed to resist the adversary who wants you to decay.

• The bristlecone pine is the world's slowest-growing tree
• One tree (which was still alive) had a sample of its core removed which dated back to 1126 BC!!!!
• Nutrients are scarce, slow-and-steady approach to growth,
• Example: Hollow Tree: different tree which is about 2000 years old,
• Grew too fast which made its center more subject to decay—and the tree’s center rotted
• But the tree is still alive in its outer rings—being more wise and slow as it has aged.

• Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
• James 5:7-8 “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Freezing, harsh, remote conditions can make you grow strong and stand the test of time.

• The environment’s combo of tough conditions—especially freezing temperatures, dry soils, high winds, and short growing seasons—makes them...